Now, I get that even if they had called it, the play would have resulted in a safety anyways, but it was obvious that they intended to hold to allow the punter to use as much time as possible. They have rules to prevent teams from taking a penalty in order to save time, shouldn't there be a rule to prevent teams from playing illegally to kill more time?

I agree that, normally, that should have been called. However, the refs in that game were clearly trying to let the players play and get out of the way, which I like. There were other similar no-calls earlier in the game, so I'm OK with that one not being called.

(And I was rooting for the 9ers for the record.)

Holding in the end zone is a safety. Since they ended up taking the safety, I think the only thing that would have changed is adding a few seconds that they missed a chance at a possible hail mary.

Yup. That is one of the great things about playoffs and Super Bowl. The hits are a bit harder and players are allowed to play.

There was an obvious conscious decision by the umpiring crew to just let the players play. The hit on Flacco will be called 99% of the time. A lot of contact between cornerbacks and receivers on both sides all game.

There was an obvious conscious decision by the umpiring crew to jsut let the players play. The hit on Flacco will be called 99% of the time. A lot of contact between cornerbacks and receivers on both sides all game.

Ravens cornerback Cary Williams called shoving a ref “a reaction,” and said he didn’t know who he was moving out of the pile during the second quarter fight that would have drawn more attention if it wasn’t followed by a brownout.

But he also called the 49ers “a little dirty,” and said his helmet was “kicked off.”

After Ed Reed’s interception triggered an altercation (“brawl” seems excessive, perhaps “melee” fits better) Williams clearly shoved an official with two hands, and could have been ejected on the spot.

“It was a situation where I didn’t see who the heck I pushed,” Williams said, via Lindsay Jones of USA Today. Those guys kicked my helmet off, took my helmet off man, it’s just a part of the process. Whatever.

“It’s a reaction. You see teammates out there getting hit late, guys pulling guys after the whistle. My helmet came off, I couldn’t barely see, and I just reacted. It is what it is.”

Williams correctly assessed that the fight was the result of nearly a half of chippy play that went unchecked, and was eventually going to boil over because game officials didn’t have control of the proceedings.

“The offensive line trying to be tough. Be tough between the whistles man. Don’t pull that crap after the damn whistle, man. I mean, I just felt like those guys were a little dirty. The refs should have thrown flags on them early on them in the game to stop that junk,” Williams said. “Sometimes you’ve got to retaliate, sometimes you have to show people we aren’t going to be pushed around. We do this. That’s been part of the Ravens defense for years, to show toughness, but we do it between the whistles.”

He was fortunate he was able to do it at all in the second half, as he should have been sitting in the dark with the fans watching.